The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has expressed disappointment over how the Lagos State #EndSARS judicial panel report was leaked out publicly.
Irabor expressed dissatisfaction to journalists in Benin City, Edo State on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, stating that he won’t comment on the report until a white paper is presented.
He stated that the report was released through the wrong channel adding that it should have first been treated by a convening authority before being accessible to the public.
On October 20, 2020, security forces fired on peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos in a forceful attempt to dismantle the symbolic force of unforgettable demonstrations against police brutality.
Eyewitnesses revealed many casualties from the attack, but the government has run an antagonistic counter-campaign arguing no one was killed by security agents.
Meanwhile, a judicial panel of inquiry set up days after the shooting finally submitted its report on Monday, November 15, 2021, confirming the claims of eyewitnesses that a massacre happened.
The report fully indicted soldiers for the massacre of the peaceful protesters and recommended that perpetrators be punished.
But Irabor maintained that the Armed Forces are professional and remain committed to the constitutional mandate.
He said, “It would not be right to disparage men and women who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact.
“So in the meantime, until I see the full extent of the report, I can assure that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are well-disciplined and we do not engage in any ignoble acts.”
The judicial panel established that at least nine protesters were killed, with four others missing presumed dead.
Dozens of others were also injured, first by the soldiers, and later by police officers who also tried to cover up their involvement.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has set up a four-member panel to review the judicial panel’s report and raise a white paper within two weeks.
The panel will be headed by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), with members listed as Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Segun Dawodu; Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye; and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Tolani Oshodi.
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